you say being a good mls player doesn't earn you a WC spot. i guess by that same logic, being a good player in the coca cola league shouldn't earn you a spot either. if howard is on the bench, it's because hes been in bad form lately. however, he's obviously capable of regaining that form. hanhemann has no future on the team, and hes not capable of reganing a form that never existed (was he goalkeeper of the year in england? in mls? anywhere?). if u dont want howard on the team because of his current form, fine. but hanhemann shouldnt be on it either. i think cannon would have been a better choice anyway.
being a good player in MLS THREE YEARS ago isn't enough. Seriously, read a post before you respond to it. I want an in-form, capable GK on the team. If it's Howard great, but I don't want him on the team just because he plays for ManU and was good in MLS back in the day.
yes, jeff can be frustrating and selfish and all that happy horseshvt, but he also led the Crew in assists for several years. but when you have martino as your #10 that's not saying much. just thought i'd add that in (not debunking your post or anything, just bringing this up).
I hate to interject some facts, but Jeff has led the Crew in assists ONCE, in 2003 he tied for the team lead w/ Ross Paule w/ 7. However, your point is supported by the fact that he had 13 in 2001 (Pelusa led the team w/ 15) and 8 in 2000 (Warzycha led w/ 13). Another point in his favor is that many of his appearances were in a substitute role, with less minutes on the field. Jeff's problem is not selfishness so much as decision making. When to pass and when to shoot. His 43 MLS assists (entering this season) attest to the fact that he is willing to pass. The Crew's offense, run by GA, has been hit it to Jeff and hope he can dribble past 3 people and score, for about the last two years, which doesn't help him either.
USA vs. Cuba last night, Uncle Fester looked like he was asleep at the wheel. He should go back to Reading with the rest of the Addams Family.
Umm...he was goalkeeper of the year in the premiership two years ago...that is kind of impressive. He was also first choice keeper for one of the European powers for most of last year...which is also kind of impressive. He is the only keeper we have that has played in the Champions league which is as close to the world cup in terms of pressure as you are going to get. I think all of these things make him worthy of a spot. That being said he is out of form at the moment and needs to step up his play this year.
i want an in-form, capable GK on the team. let's put keller in. oh wait, why is he not in there? because hes already the starter, and we want to see what the post-keller future holds for us. is hanhemann the answer? no, probably not. is howard the answer? most say yes, but hes not "in-form" as you say. i guess we better not give him any time until he regains that form. because, as we all know, not getting playing time is the best way to regain form. howard has long been overlooked on the usmnt because of his inexperience and because of friedel/keller. now, friedel is out of the picture, and this is probably kellers last world cup. howard isnt 'in form', but the english league is also not 'in season'. it would have been good for arena to call up howard, to see how 'out of form' he really is. you can't really judge a player to be 'in form' or not based on how well they're sitting on the bench.
after watching casey play last night, i kinda wish cunningham had been called up. i was never a big casey fan to begin with, but im sure cunningham could have done something more than take weak shots, miss headers, and get injured. then again, maybe he would have played just as badly. :shrugs:
why do you have to 'put quotes' around 'everything?' howard needs to get club time. the national team isn't the place to find your form, your club team is. don't put the cart before the horse. and if the Chinger wasn't injured, Casey probably wouldn't have been there in the first place.
Marcus has very little agility for a top quality GK. Cannon and Hartman do. Tim is Mr. Agility. Now if he could only match Marcus's technique, which is basically perfect.
don't discount the fact that Marcus looks like a bad mutha-********er. that HAS to count for something.
Bruce is trying to find his backup keeper. Hahneman deserved a look, that is all there is to it. He's consistently good, not great. Why do people Howard? Because he can make saves that only a few other goalies (i.e. Dida, Buffon) can make. He can make you drop your jaw and say, "Wow, is he human?" In the World Cup, you need a guy who can make saves like that. Because 1 goal can mean the difference between moving on and going home. Howard is all about confidence. Once, he picks up his game, he'll be fine. The #3 won't play anyway. Howard needs to be there, that's all there is to it.
On that same token, keep in mind that those spectacular, acrobatic saves can also be a result of the 'keeper being in a poor position which has been something Howard struggles with. But I will also say that I think Howard is the best candidate right now to be our keeper of the future. He really needs to be getting more playing time at the club level though. A loan deal might be good for him if he's going to be a permanent back-up this season.
he can make your jaw drop for other reasons, too. he lets in boneheaded goals, adn like you said ... one goal can be the difference. but I don't hate Howard -- hell I bought a ManU sweatshirt because of him -- I just don't think his play over the last year as earned him a spot. and since he'll be a backup, unless he gets loaned out, I can't see him having the opportunity to improve.
How old is Cannon? Howard is what 24,25? Don't GK's hit their stride about 30 and older? There is time to give Cannon a shot, plus Reis get him in the mix and the competition for GK with those 3 should be quite good. That competition is good for all three as it should push them to get better.
you're absolutely right about Cannon .... he'll get a (deserved) shot. I hope. he's got time. if he was a forward, it would be another story (like Kries).